PHILLIT Session 7: Songs as Poetry

Songs are our most regular exposure to poetry, which is why I assign some variant of song interpretation in poetry classes. They're usually simple enough to understand and have the added benefit of being familiar to the audience. At the very least the class comes out with a better understanding of the songs they listen to.

Ted Sturgeon is credited with saying "90% of everything is crud," applicable, too, to pop songs. But the 10% make it worth while.

We have to remember, though, that song lyrics need not be poetic in order to be good. Some inane words are saved by great music. "We Will Rock You" isn't exactly thought-provoking but that beat simply blows any poetic analysis to irrelevance.